Strategies to address barriers and improve bowel cancer screening participation in Indigenous populations, particularly in rural and remote communities: A scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Participation in bowel cancer screening programs is low in Indigenous1 Australian populations, particularly in rural and remote communities. There is growing evidence of strategies to increase screening rates amongst Indigenous Australians, however, there are limited strategies specific to rural and remote communities. OBJECTIVE: This review aims to identify strategies that may increase bowel cancer screening rates amongst Indigenous populations, particularly in rural and remote communities. METHODOLOGY: A literature search was undertaken which included peer-reviewed qualitative and quantitative articles of any study design, and grey literature. Evidence from New Zealand, Canada, United Kingdom, and Australia were included, and descriptive numerical and thematic analyses were conducted. The identified strategies were categorised using the National Cancer Policy Board's organisational framework. RESULTS: Nineteen strategies were identified from 23 included articles. The most frequently used strategies were recommendation from a general practitioner, culturally appropriate education resources, and nonresponder follow up. Four strategies were specific to rural and remote communities including alternative distribution of kits and mobile screening. Thirteen strategies aim to address the Knowledge category of the framework, four address Attitudes, four address Ability, and six address Reinforcement. So What?: Several strategies are available to increase bowel cancer screening in Indigenous populations, with very few strategies specifically relating to rural and remote communities. Multiple strategies may maximise the likelihood of participation in screening amongst Indigenous Australians. Implementation may require system-level and local-level changes.

Biomimetic synthesis of silver nanoparticles for treatment of N-Nitrosodiethylamine-induced hepatotoxicity.

The development of bioengineered nanoparticles has attracted considerable universal attention in the field of medical science and disease treatment. Current studies were executed to evaluate the hepatoprotective activity of biosynthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). Their characterization was performed by UV-Visible analysis, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and Zeta analyses. In in vivo studies, albino rats (180 ± 10 g) were persuaded with model hepatic toxicant N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA) and subsequently cotreated with Morus multicaulis at 100 mg/kg and AgNPs at 100 µg/kg dose. NDEA administration elevates the levels of liver function test biomarkers, which were reinstated to normal by cotreatment of test drugs. The oxidative stress and concentration of drug-metabolizing enzyme increase after induction of toxicant (NDEA), these markers are restored toward normal after cotreatment of nano-drug. Treatments of M. multicaulis extract did not show such significant protection. The NDEA-treated groups showed a significant rise in the level of cytokines (interleukin [IL-6] and IL-10) and reached normal with subsequent treatment with AgNPs. Histopathological studies also exhibited the curative effect of AgNPs in the same manner. Thus current results strongly suggest that biomimetic AgNPs could be used as an effective drug against hepatic alteration.

External Validation of the Cardiac Surgery Score in a Quaternary Hospital in the United States of America.

BACKGROUND: The Cardiac Surgery Score (CASUS) was developed to assist in predicting post-cardiac surgery mortality using parameters measured in the intensive care unit. It is calculated by assigning points to ten physiologic variables and adding them to obtain a score (additive CASUS), or by logistic regression to weight the variables and estimate the probability of mortality (logistic CASUS). Both additive and logistic CASUS have been externally validated elsewhere, but not yet in the United States of America (USA). This study aims to validate CASUS in a quaternary hospital in the USA and compare the predictive performance of additive to logistic CASUS in this setting. METHODS: Additive and logistic CASUS (postoperative days 1-5) were calculated for 7098 patients at Cleveland Clinic from January 2015 to February 2017. 30-day mortality data were abstracted from institutional records and the Death Registries for Ohio State and the Centers for Disease Control. Given a low event rate, model discrimination was assessed by area under the curve (AUROC), partial AUROC (pAUC), and average precision (AP). Calibration was assessed by curves and quantified using Harrell's Emax, and Integrated Calibration Index (ICI). RESULTS: 30-day mortality rate was 1.37%. For additive CASUS, odds ratio for mortality was 1.41 (1.35-1.46, P <0.001). Additive and logistic CASUS had comparable pAUC and AUROC (all >0.83). However, additive CASUS had greater AP, especially on postoperative day 1 (0.22 vs. 0.11). Additive CASUS had better calibration curves, and lower Emax, and ICI on all days. CONCLUSIONS: Additive and logistic CASUS discriminated well for postoperative 30-day mortality in our quaternary center in the USA, however logistic CASUS under-predicted mortality in our cohort. Given its ease of calculation, and better predictive accuracy, additive CASUS may be the preferred model for postoperative use. Validation in more typical cardiac surgery centers in the USA is recommended.

Ventricular Arrhythmias in Patients with Implanted Cardiac Devices at High Risk of Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

Background and Objectives: Patients with pre-existing cardiac disease have a higher prevalence of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). OSA has been associated with an increased risk of supraventricular and ventricular arrhythmia. We screened subjects with implanted pacemakers and automated implantable cardioverter defibrillators (AICD) for OSA with the Berlin Questionnaire and compared the incidence of ventricular arrhythmias and automated implantable cardioverter defibrillator (AICD) firing between high and low OSA risk groups. Materials and Methods: We contacted 648 consecutive patients from our arrhythmia clinic to participate in the study and performed final analyses on 171 subjects who consented and had follow-up data. Data were abstracted from the electronic health record for the incidence of non-sustained ventricular tachycardia (NSVT), ventricular tachycardia (VT), ventricular fibrillation (VF) and AICD firing and then compared between those at high versus low risk of OSA using the Berlin Questionnaire and multivariate negative binomial regression. Results: The average follow-up period was 24.2 ± 4.4 months. After adjusting for age, gender and history of heart failure, those subjects at high risk of OSA had a higher burden of NSVT vs. those with a low risk of OSA (33.4 ± 96.2 vs. 5.82 ± 17.1 episodes, p = 0.003). A predetermined subgroup analysis of AICD recipients also demonstrated a significantly higher burden of NSVT in the high vs. low OSA risk groups (66.2 ± 128.6 vs. 18.9 ± 36.7 episodes, p = 0.033). There were significant differences in the rates of VT, VF or AICD shock burden between the high and low OSA risk groups and in the AICD subgroup analysis. Conclusions: There was increased ventricular ectopy among pacemaker and AICD recipients at high risk of OSA, but the prevalence of VT, VF or AICD shocks was similar to those with low risk of OSA.

Identification of genes involved in phosphate solubilization and drought stress tolerance in chickpea symbiont Mesorhizobium ciceri Ca181.

Chickpea plant root colonizing bacteria Mesorhizobium ciceri Ca181 promotes plant growth and development through symbiotic association with root nodules. The potentially beneficial effects on plants generated due to this bacterium are mineral nutrient solubilization, abiotic stress tolerance, and nitrogen-fixation, though the molecular mechanisms underlying these probiotic capacities are still largely unknown. Hence, this study aims to describe the molecular mechanism of M. ciceri Ca181 in drought stress tolerance and phosphorus solubilization. Here we have developed the transposon inserted mutant library of strain Ca181 and further screened it to identify the phosphorous solubilization and PEG-induced drought stress tolerance defective mutants, respectively. Resultantly, a total of four and three mutants for phosphorous solubilization and drought stress tolerance were screened and identified. Consequently, Southern blot confirmation was done for the cross verification of insertions and stability in the genome. Through the sequencing of each mutant, the interrupted gene was confirmed, and the finding revealed that the production of gluconic acid is necessary for phosphorus solubilization, while otsA, Auc, and Usp genes were involved in the mechanism of drought stress tolerance in M. ciceri Ca181.

Point-of-Care Ultrasound to Identify Landmarks of the Proximal Humerus: Potential Use for Intraosseous Vascular Access.

OBJECTIVES: The inability to identify landmarks is an absolute contraindication for intraosseous access. The feasibility of landmark identification using ultrasound (US) has been demonstrated on human cadavers. We aimed to study the feasibility of point-of-care US in identifying proximal humerus landmarks in living human patients. METHODS: This was a prospective cohort study conducted from May 3 to June 7, 2017, after approval from the Institutional Review Board at the Cleveland Clinic. Sixty upper extremities of 30 consenting participants across 3 distinct body mass index (BMI) groups (normal, obese, and morbidly obese) were alternately examined with a 12 L-RS linear US transducer (GE Healthcare, Chicago, IL) by 2 investigators. Six anatomic landmarks were identified: the humeral shaft, the surgical neck of the humerus, the lesser tubercle, the greater tubercle, the inter tubercular sulcus, and the target site for needle insertion on the greater tubercle. Rates of successful identification of all 6 landmarks as defined by independent agreement between the investigators were reported as estimated incidence rates with 95% bootstrap confidence interval (CI) sampling at the participant level. RESULTS: Ultrasound had an overall success rate of 0.87 (95% CI, 0.78-0.95) in identifying all 6 landmarks with slight variability among various BMI groups. After excluding the surgical neck, the overall success rate improved to 0.93 (95% CI, 0.87-0.98), with minimum variability across BMI groups and no change in the ability to identify the target site. CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasound is reliable in identifying proximal humerus intraosseous landmarks, with reasonable accuracy across various BMI groups.

Awareness, Perception, Attitude Regarding CoViD -19 and Infection Control among Indian Pediatric Dentists: A Cross Sectional Study.

AIM: The rapid and extensive spread of CoViD -19 pandemic has become a major source of concern for healthcare system including pediatric dentists. The aim of the present study was to assess the awareness, perception and attitude regarding CoViD - 19 and infection control among Indian pediatric dentists. STUDY DESIGN: A total of 1009 Indian Pediatric dentists completed questionnaire based survey on the awareness, perception and attitude regarding CoViD - 19 infection and its control. Descriptive statistics have been used in the study to analyze the findings. Mean and standard deviation and proportion have been used to estimate the results of the study. RESULTS: 65.75% Indian pediatric dentists had answered questions regarding CoViD - 19 infection correctly. The present survey found a positive perception among Indian pediatric dentist regarding CoViD - 19 and infection control. However the attitude among Pediatric dentist regarding the same was not encouraging. CONCLUSION: As the global threat of CoViD-19 continues to emerge, it is critical to improve the awareness, perceptions and attitude of pediatric dentists. Educational interventions are urgently needed to reach pediatric dentists beyond borders, and further studies are warranted.

Relationship between Intraoperative Hypotension, Defined by Either Reduction from Baseline or Absolute Thresholds, and Acute Kidney and Myocardial Injury after Noncardiac Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Analysis.

BACKGROUND: How best to characterize intraoperative hypotension remains unclear. Thus, the authors assessed the relationship between myocardial and kidney injury and intraoperative absolute (mean arterial pressure [MAP]) and relative (reduction from preoperative pressure) MAP thresholds. METHODS: The authors characterized hypotension by the lowest MAP below various absolute and relative thresholds for cumulative 1, 3, 5, or 10 min and also time-weighted average below various absolute or relative MAP thresholds. The authors modeled each relationship using logistic regression. The authors further evaluated whether the relationships between intraoperative hypotension and either myocardial or kidney injury depended on baseline MAP. Finally, the authors compared the strength of associations between absolute and relative thresholds on myocardial and kidney injury using C statistics. RESULTS: MAP below absolute thresholds of 65 mmHg or relative thresholds of 20% were progressively related to both myocardial and kidney injury. At any given threshold, prolonged exposure was associated with increased odds. There were no clinically important interactions between preoperative blood pressures and the relationship between hypotension and myocardial or kidney injury at intraoperative mean arterial blood pressures less than 65 mmHg. Absolute and relative thresholds had comparable ability to discriminate patients with myocardial or kidney injury from those without. CONCLUSIONS: The associations based on relative thresholds were no stronger than those based on absolute thresholds. Furthermore, there was no clinically important interaction with preoperative pressure. Anesthetic management can thus be based on intraoperative pressures without regard to preoperative pressure.

Brachial Arterial Pressure Monitoring during Cardiac Surgery Rarely Causes Complications.

BACKGROUND: Brachial arterial catheters better estimate aortic pressure than radial arterial catheters but are used infrequently because complications in a major artery without collateral flow are potentially serious. However, the extent to which brachial artery cannulation promotes complications remains unknown. The authors thus evaluated a large cohort of cardiac surgical patients to estimate the incidence of related serious complications. METHODS: The institutional Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database and Perioperative Health Documentation System Registry of the Cleveland Clinic were used to identify patients who had brachial artery cannulation between 2007 and 2015. Complications within 6 months after surgery were identified by International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision diagnostic and procedural codes, Current Procedural Terminology procedure codes, and Society of Thoracic Surgeons variables. The authors reviewed electronic medical records to confirm that putative complications were related plausibly to brachial arterial catheterization. Complications were categorized as (1) vascular, (2) peripheral nerve injury, or (3) infection. The authors evaluated associations between brachial arterial complications and patient comorbidities and between complications and in-hospital mortality and duration of hospitalization. RESULTS: Among 21,597 qualifying patients, 777 had vascular or nerve injuries or local infections, but only 41 (incidence 0.19% [95% CI, 0.14 to 0.26%]) were potentially consequent to brachial arterial cannulation. Vascular complications occurred in 33 patients (0.15% [0.10 to 0.23%]). Definitely or possibly related infection occurred in 8 (0.04% [0.02 to 0.08%]) patients. There were no plausibly related neurologic complications. Peripheral arterial disease was associated with increased risk of complications. Brachial catheter complications were associated with prolonged hospitalization and in-hospital mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Brachial artery cannulation for hemodynamic monitoring during cardiac surgery rarely causes complications.

Silver nanoparticles protect acetaminophen induced acute hepatotoxicity: A biochemical and histopathological approach.

The present study was premeditated to demonstrate the hepatoprotective effect of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). Rats were treated with three different doses of AgNPs (50, 100 and 150 µg/kg, p.o.) after Acetaminophen (APAP; 2 g/kg, p.o. once only) intoxication. Treatment with AgNPs recouped the levels of serum aspartate amino transaminase (AST), alanine amino transaminase (ALT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), bilirubin, triglyceride (TG) and cholesterol in dose dependent manner. Significant reduction in lipid peroxidation (LPO) and restoration of reduced glutathione (GSH) was found in liver in AgNPs treated animals. Alleviated activities of adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase), glucose-6- phosphatase (G6Pase) and antioxidant enzymes viz. superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) due to APAP induced toxicity in liver were recovered by the treatment of AgNPs. Improvement in histoarchitecture of liver was also consistent with biochemical observations. The results revealed that AgNPs showed significant dose-dependent protection against APAP induced hepatocellular injury.

Service utilization and cost of implementing a comprehensive HIV prevention and care program among people who inject drugs in Delhi, India.

BACKGROUND: WHO, UNODC, and UNAIDS recommend a comprehensive package for prevention, treatment, and care of HIV among people who inject drugs (PWID). We describe the uptake of services and the cost of implementing a comprehensive package for HIV prevention, treatment, and care services in Delhi, India. METHODS: A cohort of 3774 PWID were enrolled for a prospective HIV incidence study and provided the comprehensive package: HIV and hepatitis testing and counseling, hepatitis B (HB) vaccination, syndromic management of sexually transmitted infections, clean needles-syringes, condoms, abscess care, and education. Supplementary services comprising tea and snacks, bathing facilities, and medical consultations were also provided. PWID were referred to government services for antiretroviral therapy (ART), TB care, opioid substitution therapy, and drug dependence treatment/rehabilitation. RESULTS: The project spent USD 1,067,629.88 over 36 months of project implementation: 1.7% on capital costs, 3.9% on participant recruitment, 26.7% for project management, 49.9% on provision of services, and 17.8% on supplementary services. Provision of HIV prevention and care services cost the project USD 140.41/PWID/year. 95.3% PWID were tested for HIV. Of the HIV-positive clients, only 17.8% registered for ART services after repeated follow-up. Reasons for not seeking ART services included not feeling sick, need for multiple visits to the clinic, and long waiting times. 61.8% of the PWID underwent HB testing. Of the 2106 PWID eligible for HB vaccination, 81% initiated the vaccination schedule, but only 29% completed all three doses, despite intensive follow-up by outreach workers. PWID took an average of 8 clean needles-syringes/PWID/year over the project duration, with a mid-project high of 16 needles-syringes/PWID/year. PWID continued to also procure needles from other sources, such as chemists. One hundred five PWID were referred to OST services and 267 for rehabilitation services. CONCLUSIONS: A comprehensive HIV prevention, treatment, and care package is challenging to implement. Extensive efforts are needed to ensure the uptake of and retention in services for PWID; peer educators and outreach workers are required on a continuous basis. Services need to be tailored to client needs, considering clinic timing and distance from hotspots. Programs may consider provision of ART services at selected drop-in centers to increase uptake.

Bioremediation of chromium solutions and chromium containing wastewaters.

Cr(VI) represents a serious threat to human health, living resources and ecological system as it is persistent, carcinogenic and toxic, whereas, Cr(III), another stable oxidation state of Cr, is less toxic and can be readily precipitated out of solution. The conventional methods of Cr(VI) removal from wastewaters comprise of chemical reduction followed by chemical precipitation. However, these methods utilize large amounts of chemicals and generate toxic sludge. This necessitates the need for devising an eco-technological strategy that would use the untapped potential of the biological world for remediation of Cr(VI) containing wastewaters. Among several viable approaches, biotransformation of Cr(VI) to relatively non-toxic Cr(III) by chromium resistant bacteria offers an economical- and environment-friendly option for its detoxification. Various studies on use of Cr(VI) tolerant viable bacterial isolates for treatment of Cr(VI) containing solutions and wastewater have been reported. Therefore, a detailed account of mechanisms and processes involved in bioreduction of Cr(VI) from solutions and wastewaters by bacterial isolates are the focus of this review article in addition to a discussion on toxicity of Cr(VI) on bacterial strains and various factors affecting Cr(VI) bioreduction.

Optimal Depth for Nasopharyngeal Temperature Probe Positioning.

BACKGROUND: The nasopharynx is considered 1 of the 4 generally reliable core temperature measurement sites. But curiously, there is no consensus on how far past the nares to insert the probe. Insertion depth is likely to influence the accuracy of nasopharyngeal temperature measurements because probes near the nares will be cooled by ambient air; similarly, probes inserted too far may approach the airway and be cooled by ventilation gases. We thus determined the range of nasopharyngeal probe insertion depths that best approximate reference core temperature measured in the distal esophagus. METHODS: In 36 adults undergoing noncardiac surgery with endotracheal intubation, we inserted a nasopharyngeal thermometer 20 cm past the nares and an esophageal temperature probe 40 cm from the incisors. The nasopharyngeal probe was withdrawn sequentially 2 cm at a time at 5-minute intervals. Pairs of nasopharyngeal and reference distal esophageal temperatures were then compared and summarized by Bland and Altman methods. RESULTS: All nasopharyngeal probe insertion depths between 10 and 20 cm past the nares provided temperatures similar to reference distal esophageal temperatures. At those depths, the bias was typically approximately -0.1°C, with SD of approximately ±0.15°C; the limits of agreement thus were easily within our a priori specified clinically acceptable range of -0.5°C and 0.5°C. CONCLUSIONS: Any nasopharyngeal probe insertion depth between 10 and 20 cm well represents core temperature in adults having noncardiac surgery.

The influence of fluvial dynamics and North Atlantic swells on the beach habitat of leatherback turtles at Grande Riviere Trinidad.

Grande Riviere beach, located on the north coast of Trinidad, West Indies, is internationally recognised as a critical habitat/nesting ground for the endangered leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea). Episodic extreme flooding of the Grande Riviere River led to the shifting of the river mouth and resulted in backshore beach erosion, with the most recent recorded event occurring in 2012. Following this event, the construction of a sand dam to arrest further erosion which threatened coastal infrastructure, precipitated a host of new problems ranging from beach instability to public health threats. In January 2013, high energy swell waves naturally in-filled the erosion channel, and the beach recovery continued over the successive months, thereby rendering the intervention in the previous year questionable. This paper presents a geomorphological analysis of beach dynamics for Grande Riviere, within the context of this erosion event. Data on beach profiles, sediment and coastal processes were collected using standard geomorphological techniques. Beach topographic analysis and water quality tests on impounded water in the erosion channel were conducted. Results indicate that the event created an erosion channel of 4843.42 m(3) over a contiguous area of 2794.25 m(2). While swell waves were able to naturally infill the channel, they also eroded 17,762 m(3) of sand overall across the beach. Water quality tests revealed that the impounded water was classified as a pollutant, and created challenges for remediation. Hydrologic and coastal geomorphologic interplay is responsible for the existence and sustainability of this coastal system. It is also evident that the beach system is able to recover naturally following extreme events. Our results demonstrate that effective and integrated management of such critical habitats remains dependent upon continuous monitoring data which should be used to inform policy and decision making.

Optimization of culture parameters for tannery effluent bioremediation by Bacillus gala ctosidilyticus APBS5-3.

Wastewaters produced by tanneries contain high concentration of hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] and organic pollutants. In the presentwork, tannery effluent remediation ability of a chromium resistant Bacillus galactosidilyticus strain APBS5-3, isolated from tannery effluent enriched soil, was evaluated. This strain was found to be resistant up to 800 ppm Cr(VI). Optimization of pH, carbon source, nitrogen source, inoculum concentration, agitation rate and incubation temperature was performed for efficient bioremediation of tannery effluent. Highest reduction of COD and Cr(VI) was found to be 63.1 and 41.8%, respectively and final O.D. (at 600 nm) and pH were found to be 1.222 and 8.54, respectively after 72 hr under optimized conditions.

A refreshing beverage from mature coconut water blended with lemon juice.

Coconut water obtained from the mature coconuts was blended with lemon juice to develop a refreshing beverage. The levels of total soluble solids (°Brix) in the coconut beverage and lemon juice (%), were optimized using response surface methodology and considering pH, CIE L* value and sensory attributes (colour, aroma, taste, consistency and overall acceptability) as responses. A number total of 14 experiments were carried out following Central Composite Rotatable Design (CCRD) keeping 6 experiments at centre point. The data obtained were analyzed using multiple regression technique and the quadratic equations (R(2), 98.14-99.89 %) were found to fit well in describing the effect of variables on responses studied. An optimum condition for the coconut water beverage was obtained at 13.5°Brix blended with 2 % lemon juice. The mature coconut water beverage blended with lemon juice showed a shelf-life of 6 months in packed conditions at low (5 °C), ambient (25 ± 2 °C) and high (37 °C) temperatures on the basis of physicochemical, microbiological and sensory attributes.

Decolourization and detoxification of Reactive Red-195 azo dye by Staphylococcus caprae isolated from textile effluent.

Azo dyes are used as coloring agent in textile industries at larger scale. As a result, large quantity of dye-enriched waste water is generated which subsequently poses environmental problems. Biological tool involving bacteria having azoreductase enzyme has proved to be more effective and efficient in dye effluent treatment. Current work focuses on Staphylococcus caprae (S. caprae) for degradation and decolorization of Reactive Red-195 (RR-195) azo dye. For this purpose, factors such as pH, temperature, inoculums, carbon and nitrogen sources, and dye concentrations have been optimized for maximum decolorization and degradation. S. caprae (4 mg/mL) efficiently resulted into 90% decolorization of RR-195 dye under static condition at 100 µg/mL concentration, 30 °C and pH 7.0 at a 12-h contact period. FTIR analysis has revealed the formation of new functional groups in the treated dye such as O-H stretch at 3370 cm-1, C-H band stretching at 2928 cm-1, and new band at 1608 cm-1 which specify the degradation of aromatic ring, 1382 and 1118 cm-1 represents desulfonated peaks. Biodegraded metabolites of RR-195 dye such as phenol, 3, 5-di-tert-butylphenol, and phthalic acid have been identified respectively that find industrial applications. Phytotoxicity test has shown non-toxic effects of treated dye on germination of Vigna radiata and Triticum aestivum seeds. Further, antibiotic diffusion assay has confirmed the biosafety of S. caprae.

Biochar-modified constructed wetlands using Eclipta alba as a plant for sustainable rural wastewater treatment.

Constructed wetlands (CWs) provide a low-cost, effective solution for domestic wastewater treatment in developing nations compared to costly traditional wastewater systems. Biochar which is an organic material created by pyrolysis offers straightforward, affordable methods for treating wastewater and lowering carbon footprint by acting as a substrate in CWs. Batch mode biochar-amended subsurface flow (SSF) CWs planted with Eclipta alba (L) with a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 3 days were used for the treatment of rural domestic wastewater in the present investigation. Two control CWs, without plants (C1) and with plants (C2), and five different amendments of biochar 5% (B5), 10% (B10), 15% (B15), 20% (B20) and 25% (B25) in ratio with soil were set up to check the treatment efficiency of CWs. Removal efficiency (RE%) of the CWs for parameters namely chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), phosphate (PO42-), sulphate (SO42-), nitrate (NO3-) and total Kjeldhal nitrogen (TKN) was determined using standard methods. Removal efficiency of 93%, 91%, 74% and 77% was observed for BOD, COD, nitrate and sulphate, respectively, in the B25 amendment at HRT 72 h. The highest removal of TKN (67%) was also observed in the B25 amendment at HRT of 72 h. No stable trend for the removal of phosphates was found during the study, and maximum removal was observed at HRT 48 h; afterward, phosphate was slightly inclined with the increasing HRT. The findings of one-way ANOVA using Tukey's test show significant variations (p < 0.05) in the removal efficiencies of pollutants after 72 h between two controls (C1 and C2) and various biochar amendments in CWs, indicating a significant role of the wetland plants and concentration of the biochar as substrate. Biochar shows a positive impact on the removal of organic pollutants and nitrates. Hence, biochar-amended CWs can be a sustainable way of treating rural domestic wastewater.

Assessment of molecular diversity in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) rhizobia and structural analysis of 16S rDNA sequences from Mesorhizobium ciceri.

Molecular diversity studies of 19 rhizobia isolates from chickpea were conducted using simple sequence repeats (SSR) and 16S rDNA-RFLP markers. Phenotypic characterization with special reference to salinity and pH tolerance was performed. These isolates were identified as different strains of Mesorhizobium, Rhizobium, Bradyrhizobium, and Agrobacterium. Twenty SSR loci of Mesorhizobium ciceri, distributed across the other rhizobial genome, clearly differentiated 19 rhizobial isolates. Analogous clustering supported the results of 16S rDNA sequence-based phylogeny. Analysis of the 16S rDNA sequences from M. ciceri strains revealed that nucleotide variables (signature sites) were located at 20 different positions; most of them were present in the first 820 bp region from 5' terminal. Interestingly, 14 signature sites were located in two main regions, the variable region V1 (nt 527-584), and variable region V2 (nt 754-813). The secondary structure and minimal free energy were determined in these two regions. These results will be useful in characterizing the micro-evolutionary mechanisms of species formation and increase understanding of the symbiotic relationship.